


Of Fairytales and Happy Endings

by QueenC



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, ChalexReverseBang2020, Disney References, Fairy Tale Elements, Fanart, Fluff and Humor, Inspired by Art, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-11-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:40:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26898319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenC/pseuds/QueenC
Summary: Alex's plan for the day was to take his niece on her first Disney tour. That's it. That's all he had agreed to do, and if you asked him, it was enough excitement to last quite a few months already.Enter Charlie St. George AKA Prince Phillip at Disneyland, and Alex quickly realizes he's in for a lot more than he signed up for.
Relationships: Charlie St. George/Alex Standall
Comments: 40
Kudos: 190
Collections: Chalex Reverse Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ricoka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ricoka/gifts).



> Here's my submission #2 for the Reverse Bang!! I'm so excited for you guys to read this!
> 
> This story is based on Ricoka's beautiful artwork, and you can find it [here](https://ricoka.tumblr.com/post/630967615868829696/done-for-the-chalex-reverse-bang-2020-by). I fell in love with this art the moment I saw it, and I couldn't not claim it for my second collab for this event. Go give her art some love!
> 
> In advance, I'd just like to let you all know that my entire knowledge about Disneyland is based on what google tells me. Also that on more than on occasion in this fic I completely disregarded whatever I researched in order to fit my plot better, so expect a lot of inaccuracies and artistic liberties in this one.
> 
> I truly hope you guys enjoy this one! It was such a pleasure to write <3

There were some things in life Alex Standall could say for sure he would never have pictured himself doing — until the very moment he was, in fact, doing them. Roaming Fantasyland at Disneyland Park hand in hand with an overexcited 5-year-old girl was one of those things. 

Alex wasn't keen to admit this — especially because he never saw this one coming — but his unexpected upgrade into the uncle's role had seen him doing a lot of things he could never have guessed before he would be willing to do. The only thought that eased his mind about this was knowing he'd hardly been the one most caught by surprise by the whole situation. 

Alex would never forget his brother's livid, anxious face as he told their parents his college girlfriend Cheryl was expecting a baby. There were a lot of tears involved after Peter shared the news — except not the kind his older brother was afraid of. Carolyn Standall was over the moon with the idea of being a grandmother, even if the timing was far from ideal, and Bill Standall was nothing but supportive of his older son and his girlfriend's choice. When met with such acceptance from both their families, the young couple decided to face it head-on, and despite the unexpected turn of events, five years later they were still together, happily married, and with a lively, witty little girl completing their small family. 

And Alex, who had watched the whole process unfold with supportive words in his lips and a lot of doubts in his mind, had fallen head over heels with his niece from the first moment his eyes landed on her, still only a bundle of blankets curling up in a crib at the hospital's nursery. As they watched her together through the glass, Peter unassumingly informed Alex he and Cheryl had decided to let him pick their baby's name after his unwavering support over the last nine months. Alex still liked to pretend he didn't tear up a bit after the request.

In the end, he chose to name her Lyla, after the Oasis song. He could only hope that she'd grown to be as strong and sharp and kind as her counterpart in the old tune.

Alex had never given too much thought about children before, except to quickly assess that raising one wasn't in his plans. So it was surprising, more to himself than to anyone else, to get so taken so quickly with such a small being that drooled over his clothes and had a liking to tug at his hair. He was not much of a fan of kids at the time — to be honest, Alex wasn't sure he was much of a fan of kids _right now_ , but Lyla was an entirely different matter. Alex loved her dearly from the very first moment he held her in his arms, awkward and inexperienced and afraid of breathing too hard and breaking her. There was hardly anything he wouldn't do for his niece.

And the little punk was somehow growing conscious of it because since the day Jess let it slip in front of her she knew Elsa and Anna from Frozen, this piece of information had become an obsession in Lyla's mind. There wasn't a day when they met or FaceTimed over the last couple of months that she wouldn't ask about “Auntie Jess and her friends”. She had perfected her craft with the puppy eyes look as the days passed, and it got to a point where Alex felt cornered enough — also by Peter and Cheryl's meaningful glares in the background — to give in and reach out to Jess for help.

Jessica was working at Disneyland for a year now, and she had offered Alex her employee discount from her very first week as a Cast Member at the California park. While Alex appreciated his friend's generous offer, wander around an amusement park with an excitable kid was not at the forefront of his mind, so he'd always smile and deftly avoid delving deeper into the subject, hoping he could stall a couple of years more, at least, before taking Lyla to a Disneyland tour. But Jessica was nothing if not stubborn, and once she couldn't make Alex take Lyla of his own accord, her nosy self thought it would be a good idea to mention to Peter and Cheryl she could grant Alex and Lyla access to the park whenever they wanted to schedule a visit. Alex never felt more betrayed in his life. He swore to himself this was the last time he invited Jessica for any sort of Standall family meals.

She assured both concerned parents that her discount covered all ticket expenses, and guaranteed she could lead uncle and niece on a tour any day (which was such a blatant lie that Alex just stared at her in disbelief from his seat opposite from hers at his parent's kitchen table). Lyla's eyes were shining so bright at the end of Jessica's speech — and Peter was giving him that meaningful glare yet again — that Alex didn't have it in him to deny this treat to his favorite girl. 

Which explained how at the moment he allowed a smug-looking Jess to fiddle with his phone, making reservations for their MaxPasses on the Disneyland app to guarantee they wouldn't waste their time standing in giant lines. Alex glared at her, not amused in the slightest. 

“Hey, cut it off,” Jessica chastised. “Not only am I doing you a huge solid, but I'm also breaking a lot of rules here. I could lose my job if they find out I'm not sticking with you two for the day, so the least you can do is show some gratitude.”

“Oh, I'm very grateful,” said Alex, tone flat. “I'm so fucking grateful you decided to let it slip in front of my five-year-old niece you were friends with some dumb ass princesses. Honestly, Jess. You knew it would come to this.”

“Of course I knew,” she grinned, giving Alex his phone back. “If you thought I'd lose the chance to see you in pictures with Olaf and Moana, you don't know me at all. Don't forget to smile. You don't wanna ruin Lyla's souvenirs.”

“Fuck, I hate you so much,” he muttered, accepting the two plastic cards with the words _Guest Pass_ that Jessica handed him.

“Watch your mouth,” chided Jess yet again, squatting Alex lightly on the shoulder. “There are a lot of kids around here, including your lovely niece. Also, how can you be so grumpy about this? You're at Disneyland! Quit being so uptight and live the magic.”

“I'm not uptight,” protested Alex, “and life's not a fairytale. If you lose your shoe at midnight, chances are you're actually wasted, not about to meet your prince charming.”

“I give up on you and your disbelieving ass,” Jess rolled her eyes, forgetting her own no-swearing rule when faced with Alex's stubborn intention of enjoying his Disney tour the least possible. She turned to where Lyla was crouched, playing with a stuffed Pluto Alex had bought her as soon as they entered. “Hey, Lyla! Come over here, Auntie Jess' got something for you!”

Lyla lifted her head and beamed, grabbing her Pluto from the floor and running towards Jess, who kneeled down and produced a pair of Mickey's ears from her side bag, placing them on top of the girl's blond head. 

“There you go,” she announced proudly, smoothing Lyla's curls with a smile. “No big lines for the two of you today. Will you tell me later everything about your chat with Elsa and Anna?”

“Yes!” Answered Lyla excitedly, and just her thousand-watt smile was enough to make Alex lose some of his grumpiness. “Thank you so much, Auntie Jess!”

“You're welcome,” said Jess. “Just make sure your Uncle Alex is smiling on the pictures, yes?” And here she threw a sideway look at Alex that immediately put him back into his grumpy mood. “In fact, maybe we should practice this a little?” She said, standing back up on her feet with a dangerous glint on her eyes.

“What are you doing?” Asked Alex suspiciously, but Jess ignored him completely, eyes trained over his shoulder.

“Prince Phillip! Would you care to come around to meet my little friend for a sec?” She asked in a sweet tone that only one who didn't know Jessica Davis for such long years could ever believe. 

Alex obviously couldn't, and he squinted at her, pivoting on his heels to see what the fuck Jess was up to, and _holy shit, wow._ Just... Wow.

 _Prince Phillip_ stood a few feet away from them, clad in grey leggings, knee-high black boots, and an embellished tunic with golden embroidery that shone brightly under the sun. To top it all off and lend him an even more pronounced princely look, there was a red cloak hanging from his broad shoulders — not to mention the sword and shield strapped to his left arm. There was a polite smile placed on his lips and he looked very much like he had just stepped out of a fucking fairytale.

Lyla let out an amazed gasp. Alex had to put in a lot of effort not to do the same. 

He would be the first to admit his knowledge on Disney princes was very limited but it didn't matter whether he could tell or not from which specific tale Prince Phillip belonged to because the bottom line was that he looked _good._

But he also looked torn, eyes gazing from Jess to Lyla alternately. Now that Alex looked beyond his dazzling figure, he seemed like he was in a hurry before he was hindered by Jess's words and the fact that she had a kid hanging from her side, which made it very impolite of him to decline her request. 

“Of course!” He finally answered, plastering back a grin on his handsome face, and Alex didn't think he should be half as charmed as he was — and still, he fucking was. “I'm afraid I have to be quick, though. I have a castle to protect!” He stage-whispered as he approached them, and Lyla's eyes grew wide. Alex briefly wondered what expression he was currently wearing on his own face. He feared the answer.

“We don't wanna keep you from your princely duties,” reassured Jess. “Lyla and her uncle will do fine with just a picture, right?”

Alex didn't think he could answer even if he wasn't cursing Jess in his head — for when the words _and her uncle_ registered on the prince's ears, he looked up behind Jess and his eyes met Alex's. His stance changed immediately. He straightened up and his smile grew even brighter, if possible. Alex, for his part, felt a very characteristic shiver running down his spine, and cursed even harder in his mind. Of all the things he expected to go out of his hands today, going soft on a fucking Disney prince wasn't among them.

“By all means,” agreed Prince Phillip — and just the fact that he had to be referring to this guy as _Prince Phillip_ in his head should be enough to let Alex know how ridiculous the situation was. He was ogling a guy that didn't even have a name. The prince took a step closer and dropped to one knee in front of Lyla, extending his hand to her. She offered hers back in a trance. “I'm delighted to meet you. What's your name?” He asked, lips touching playfully the back of her hand. 

“I'm Lyla! Nice to meet you too,” she shrieked back in amazement. Prince Phillip smiled at her and Jess pulled her phone from her pocket, gesturing at them to gather around. 

“Come on, Uncle Alex, Prince Phillip's got business to attend to,” commanded Jess, and Alex quickly entertained five different ways of killing her in his head.

But Lyla's eyes were expectant as she posed for the photo — and curiously Prince Phillip's were too. So Alex let out a begrudging sigh and stepped closer to the smiling duo so Jess could take her damn picture. 

“Don't forget to smile,” sing-songed Jess cheerfully, but the mischievous glint in her eyes gave her away. Alex wanted to scowl just out of spite, and he had half a mind to do it, but as Jess started her countdown for the picture, Prince Phillip's hand rested warmly on his shoulder the exact moment Jess intoned, “One!”

Alex sucked in a surprised breath, head swiveling fast to look at him — and then the shutter clicked off and it was done.

Jess thumbed her phone distractedly in search of the picture, and then her eyes widened and she cackled — evilly cackled —, one hand flying to cover her mouth to rein in her laughter. “Oh, my-- this is amazing. I'll have this printed. As a gift, from me to you.”

“What's so funny?” Asked Alex suspiciously, stepping closer to her, but she was quick to safely slide her cell phone back into her pocket. She threw him a winning smile. 

“I'll get you one printed, I promise. It'll be my pleasure,” she said cryptically. Alex wasn't convinced. But he didn't have the time to insist before static broke through Jessica's radio and she jumped on her feet, suddenly reminded that she was on the clock. “I gotta go! Hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Buy Lyla a stuffed Olaf for me,” and she had the gall of kissing Alex on the cheek before scurrying away, hands already busy with her radio on her way out. 

Jess's sudden departure also seemed to strike Prince Phillip aware that he had been in a hurry when he first stopped by. 

“I must go as well,” he intoned, and Alex blinked at him, vaguely wondering if his manners were ingrained on him due to extensive prince-training or what. He _sounded_ like royalty. “Perhaps Lyla and her uncle would like to stop by the castle later?”

The question was directed to his niece, but Prince Phillip's eyes were fixed on Alex. And Alex, for his part, couldn't say for sure if he was staring back on purpose, or if he was just dazzled by this guy that stood in front of him looking so royal and noble and definitely sneaking him a glance. Was he reading this wrong or Prince Phillip seemed a little too interested in him? Was this standard prince-like behavior?

“Of course we will!” Agreed Lyla way before Alex could process the suggestion — and then, with the attention span of a kid her age, her head whipped to the right, eyes zeroing in on another character passing by, and she yelled excitedly, “Look, Uncle Lexie! It's Tinker Bell!”

Alex didn't even have the time to feel mortified. Next thing he knew, he was being tugged away from a dreamy prince by his five-year-old niece — with the added bonus of just being called _Uncle Lexie_ right in front of said dreamy prince. He threw a look over his shoulder back to where Prince Phillip stood. His expression was a mix of fondness and disappointment, and Alex couldn't tell which of the two surprised him more. 

Then the prince bowed slightly in a reverence, charming grin on his face as he straightened back, and threw Alex a wink before turning on the opposite way. Alex was sure he was losing his mind. Either that, or he was crushing on a Disney prince, and being quite honest, Alex didn't know which of the two options sounded less absurd in his head.

* * *

“Let me remind you of something, young lady,” started Alex in a serious tone. He and Lyla were standing next to a churro cart, sugary pastries in their hands, after going through a few more encounters with random characters Alex didn't always know the name. “I thought we had a deal that you are not supposed to call me Uncle Lexie in front of strangers. Do you remember that?”

“But he's not a stranger. He is Prince Phillip from Sleeping Beauty,” reasoned Lyla with all the wisdom of her five years of life. “I know him.”

Alex looked at her unimpressed but it's not like he could tear apart his niece's tender beliefs, so he nodded and settled for meeting her halfway. “You're right. Then you're not to call me Uncle Lexie in front of any princes ever again, is that better?”

“What's wrong with Uncle Lexie?” Frowned Lyla, cheek smeared with sugar and grease. “I thought you liked it.”

“And I do like it, when it's just the two of us,” explained Alex, reaching with a napkin to wipe her cheek clean. “It's hard for anyone to take me seriously when you call me like that. Your dad almost wetted his pants the first time you did so in front of him.”

Lyla giggled. “Daddy says it makes you sound like a girl.”

“And as much as I usually disagree with him, this one time he's completely right,” stated Alex. “Your mom's the only one nice enough not to say a word about it.”

“Mommy says it makes you sound like a pixie fairy,” informed Lyla dutifully.

“And I take that back entirely,” Alex rolled his eyes, throwing his napkin in a dumpster nearby. “Where would you like to go next?”

“Can we go see Prince Phillip?” Asked Lyla promptly. 

Alex faltered, turning around to look at his niece with eyebrows raised. “Why? What about Ariel, or that other one with the red hair you have on your bedsheets?”

“That's Merida,” noted Lyla. 

“Yeah, Merida! Why not Merida, I like Merida,” tried Alex. Mind him, he did have an interest in going to see Prince Phillip. But he still wasn't over being called Uncle Lexie in front of him.

“I want to see Prince Phillip's castle,” insisted Lyla, “and Aurora and the dragon he defeated! We can see Merida later. Merida didn't invite us to go see her castle.”

Alex let out a sigh, amused at so much reasoning coming from such a small being, but he nodded, begrudgingly. “Fine. Finish your churro, and we can go see Prince Phillip.” Was he counting on Lyla asking for this at some point? Was he enjoying the opportunity? Was he game to using his niece as an excuse to check on Prince Phillip again? Yes to all of the above. 

“You don't like Prince Phillip?” Asked Lyla curiously, interrupting Alex's inner turmoil. 

“What makes you say that?” Frowned Alex. 

“Your face was looking funny when he came to talk to us earlier,” answered the little girl. 

_Oh, God._ “Funny like what?” Asked Alex warily.

“Like you were hit on the head really hard or something. It looked like you were dizzy,” offered Lyla.

Alex grimaced, cursing inwardly — because _fuck,_ if he had been that obvious to a kid, chances were high that his current crush had read him like a book as well.

Lyla must have caught the distress on his face because she quickly added, “Don't worry! Prince Phillip also looked like he was hit on the head when he saw you. I guess he didn't like you either.”

Alex was speechless for a moment. _Kids._ The innocence. He swallowed thickly, nodding along and barely holding back a smile as he agreed. “Yeah, I guess he didn't.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'll be posting the other chapters as the RB scheduled posting days are over. Let me know what you're thinking of this one! I'm always curious for your thoughts <3


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's keep this fairytale magic rolling! Time for some Charlie's POV.
> 
> Also, this chapter specifically contains the moment depicted in Ricoka's amazing artwork. Check back on it again, so you guys can picture it as well in your heads as I did while writing!

Charlie St. George had pictured himself doing quite a lot of things with his life after he finished school. He liked to think he was one to keep his mind open to possibilities. But even in his most delirious suppositions, he wouldn't have put his money that, at the top of his early twenties, he would be playing a Disney prince for a living. 

That didn't mean to say he didn't like his job. The very opposite, actually — when his old teammate Luke Holliday had invited him to give characters' auditions a try, Charlie had complied more out of curiosity than anything else. But man, the process was _hard._ Also, keeping your position after you got in was a continuous effort too. So all in all, Charlie felt very damn proud of his job as a face character at Disneyland Park.

He knew it was an occupation with its days counted, though. The princes and princesses needed to always look young, so being replaced was a reality all performers eventually faced. But Charlie wanted to keep on working at Disney after his days as Prince Phillip were over. He loved the environment he was immersed in, and his coworkers, and keeping the magic alive. Also, surprising even to himself, Charlie liked a lot to work with the kids. It was one of those funny, fateful things — he had never pictured himself doing what he was doing for a living, and now it was hard to see himself doing anything else other than that. 

Truth be told, his character Prince Phillip wasn't one of the kids' favorites. The princesses had undivided protagonism on Fantasyland, but Charlie still got to entertain a lot of them who came specifically to see his partner, Princess Aurora — AKA Chloe Rice, a very pretty and sweet girl Charlie had the pleasure to be working with for a whole year now. Chloe liked to make fun of him saying she got to do all the heavy work with the kids while the teenagers just dropped by to crush on Charlie. 

She wasn't entirely wrong there. Charlie was used to having girls — and boys — making eyes at him, and he surely had been hit on in more than one occasion. And while this was something that had him freaking out a bit the first time it happened — how was he supposed to _deal_ with this without stepping out of character —, these days he mostly took it in stride. He was used to playing Prince Phillip and dodging youngsters crushing on him.

What Charlie wasn't used to was _crushing back_. And while he was glad that at least he wasn't perving on underage visitors or anything of the sort — _still,_ what the hell. He liked to keep his personal affairs as far away as he could from his job, but there was a first time for everything, he assumed. Including developing instant crushes on unsuspicious uncles taking their sweet nieces for their first tour at Disneyland. 

It was fine, Charlie could handle it. He could easily play his part and Prince Phillip his way out of one more day of work. Besides, Disneyland was so damn huge — it was likely that he wouldn't even see the pair again today. 

(Charlie very much wished he did, though. He had invited them to his castle for a _reason_.) 

Charlie headed to the break room after some solid hours of non-stop smiling and waving and posing for pictures. And of looking over people's heads to maybe catch a glimpse of a slender hot guy and his small blond niece passing by. His face muscles felt tired from all the smiling but Charlie was mostly used to it by now. He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and walked to the common area, vaguely wondering if he should stick to the pepperoni sandwich he had brought for lunch, or if maybe he could swallow his unrequited crush with a little more cream and sugar involved. He was inclined to the second option. 

When his eyes landed on Pocahontas' John Smith and Mulan's Li Shang huddled together by a corner — that is to say, Luke and Zach with their full costumes on —, Charlie smiled despite his sore cheeks. His two friends stood close to each other in frantic whispered conversation, all stifled laughs and amused expressions. Apparently, Charlie's mood was about to be lifted. 

“Hey, guys. Who are we making fun of this time?” Charlie asked as he approached his friends. 

Zach and Luke sprung apart immediately at the sound of Charlie's voice, eyes wide and guilty expressions that didn't match their Disney counterparts in the slightest. Zach harrumphed, smoothly hiding his phone into one of the many folds of his costume. Luke faltered for a moment before plastering his John-Smith-smile on his face. “No one, man! No one at all. Did you just get here?”

Charlie arched his eyebrows, not buying his friend's sorry attempt at subtlety for a second. “Yeah, actually,” he answered, cracking his water bottle open and taking a sip from it. “You know, for people who spend their days playing fictional characters, you guys are lousy actors. What's going on?”

Luke seemed a bit torn, but Zach, who hadn't bothered to hide the amusement on his face for one single second, answered faster. “Did you by any chance check on your phone on your way here?”

Charlie frowned, shaking his head. “Not really. I left it in my bag in the changing rooms. As we are supposed to do,” he stressed, looking pointedly at the device barely hidden by Zach's Li Shang clothes. 

They had sort of a game, the three of them. Working at Disneyland came with a set of very specific rules, and some were really hard to stick to without bending here and there. So they checked on each other's behaviors all the time to see who committed the more slip-ups in the span of a week. There was an intricate system of granting and losing points going on — some offenses were clearly graver than others — and they were very stern on each other about it, because obviously none of them wanted to stay behind. The week's loser would pay for the first round of beers on their day off.

Zach looked back at Charlie unperturbed, apparently not caring at all he had just lost himself some points. This perspective made Charlie a little nervous. Zach Dempsey was competitive as hell. Whatever it was that Charlie should have seen on his way here had to be really good for Zach not to mind staying behind on their game by waving his phone in front of Charlie and Luke.

To Charlie's further astonishment, Zach pulled said forbidden phone from his costume and fiddled with it for a bit before handing it to Charlie with a carefully blank expression. “You should see it for yourself.”

Charlie reached out to grab it hesitantly, eyes darting from Zach to Luke, trying to read from their faces what could be so groundbreaking to have his friends making such a scene. Luke looked like Christmas had arrived sooner, but Zach's expression remained stoically put together. 

With one last worried look at his friends, Charlie looked down at Zach's phone. He probably gasped very loudly. He can't be sure. But his heart definitely skipped a beat once his eyes met the cute face that had been lingering on his mind all morning. 

There, on Zach's phone, was the picture Jessica had snapped earlier of him, Lyla, and Uncle Lexie. 

_Uncle Lexie._ Charlie had to laugh at himself there. He didn't know what was the most absurd — that the guy he was crushing on responded to 'Uncle Lexie' in his head, or that he was now staring back at him from a picture on Zach's phone.

_Staring back_ was a stretch, actually. He wasn't even looking at the camera, and knowing his friends' sense of humor, Charlie knew that this was what they had been snickering about. The guy's head was tilted in Charlie's direction at the moment Jessica had taken the picture, mouth slightly agape and a dazzled look on his face that rivaled the one on his niece's features.

Charlie, for his part, stood by his side elegantly, one hand on his shoulder and the other on the little girl's, smiling confidently at the camera. He took dozens of pictures like this every single day, he knew how to play his part. If his eyes were slightly unfocused and sneaking a sideways glance to Uncle Lexie, Charlie surely wouldn't be the one commenting on it.

The caption under the picture read _Prince Phillip more for Prince fucking Charming today_ , and had been sent by Jessica to Zach about half an hour ago. 

Charlie's brain was a fog as he stared at the picture. He knew it was meant to be a joke, and objectively he could see why he should be thinking it funny too, but so far all he could focus on was the boy's attractive features. If Charlie was completely honest, he would admit that Uncle Lexie actually looked a bit silly — as if struck by a heavy blow to the head as he gaped at Prince Phillip — but he couldn't care less. If anything, Charlie found him even cuter. 

“Holy shit, Zach, Charlie is all charmed too! I told you!” Now Luke sounded like Christmas had arrived earlier _and_ bearing lots of gifts. Charlie put in a huge effort to remove his eyes from the picture and lift his gaze to Zach.

“How this-- why. _Why_ ,” he demanded, gesturing with Zach's phone insistently. “Why did Jess send you this picture? Do you know this guy?”

“Uh-- yes, I do, actually,” answered Zach, seeming a little taken aback that Charlie wasn't just laughing it off. “We went to school together, the three of us. Alex is my best friend.”

“His name is Alex, Jesus Christ, thank you,” blurted out Charlie, eyes returning to _Alex's_ sweet figure, a less smitten part of himself amused that he was still finding this boy attractive even at such an unflattering shot. Zach and Luke wore identical bemused looks on their faces. “Nevermind, uh-- can I just-- could you maybe, I don't know, introduce me to him properly later? There was no time at all today, he doesn't even know me besides Prince Phillip.”

“Hang on,” halted Zach, frowning. “Is this happening for real? I mean, Alex isn't the only one struck dumb by a crush on a fucking Disneyland tour?”

“You see, I've been telling you this for the past ten minutes, man,” Luke sighed tiredly. “If you look closely, Charlie isn't camera-ready either. He's also looking at your buddy there,” he chipped in, grinning. “The magic is happening!”

“Will you guys just shut up? Jesus,” Charlie rolled his eyes, refusing to blush. He had fended off misty-eyed teenagers, and sassy brides-to-be, and the occasional loose-mouthed grandmas on various occasions, and he'd been completely chill about it. He could deal with his friends teasing him about his crush.

One of the Plutos suddenly popped up next to them, hands flying to the head of his costume haphazardly. Luke promptly joined in to help, and a few seconds of pulling and pushing later, Diego's cheerful face emerged from inside his costume. His head seemed way too small compared to the rest of his furry body, but his thousand-watt smile almost didn't let on that he had been stuffed inside a particularly hot costume on a particularly warm day a few seconds ago.

“Y'all, what's up with that picture of Charlie making eyes at a visitor?” He grinned, one of his paws landing heavily on Charlie's shoulder. “Got yourself bespelled back there, man?”

_“How,”_ enunciated Charlie, looking dumbfounded at his friend's smiling face, “do you even know about this already? You were literally stuffed inside a Pluto costume until ten seconds ago.”

“I was with Tyler for some photoshoots, and he showed me the picture when we were done,” explained Diego. 

“Wait, Tyler has the picture too?” Frowned Luke.

Diego nodded. “Yeah, Zach sent it to our work group chat.”

“You did what?” Charlie swiveled back on Zach, aghast. 

Zach raised his hands in front of himself defensively. “Hey, I had to, all right? Tyler knows Alex too, and also Tony and Caleb, so it was easier to post it in the group chat than sending it to them one by one. Besides, don't think I forgot about that picture of me you leaked on the group chat last year. I still get jokes about that.”

“You had Buzz Lightyear's head on while you were only in your underwear,” remembered Charlie pointedly. “It was hilarious.”

“So is this,” reasoned Zach, snatching his phone back from Charlie's hand. “Or at least it was until you made it A Thing.” Zach fixed him with a suspicious expression. “What the hell, Charlie. What are your intentions with my best friend?”

“You can't be serious,” Charlie deadpanned.

“Man, this is the first time I see a prince getting the shovel talk,” mused Diego excitedly. “I'd sit back and watch it if I could.”

“It's the tail, isn't it? It gets in the way,” said Luke sympathetically. 

“Yeah, man, it sucks,” sighed Diego dejectedly. 

“I hate you all so much,” Charlie let out a long-suffering sigh. 

“Okay, but can we discuss something here real quick,” cut in Luke, and from the tinge of amusement on his voice, Charlie knew the worst was yet to come. “We've all been here making fun of poor Zach's friend, looking all dumbstruck and everything, which, fine, is very amusing, I'll give you that, but I've been trying to make a point here, and I can't stress this enough — have you guys seen _Charlie_?”

Diego and Zach joined heads to better look at the picture, a frown on both their faces. “What about it?” Asked Zach. “He's sneaking a glance at Alex, but it's barely visible.”

“Look again until you see it,” encouraged Luke.

“Come on, man, cut the mystery act,” complained Diego. “I still have to run back to the main entrance, and I gotta save this info for later. What's wrong with the picture? Charlie is smiling, like always.”

“Yes,” conceded Luke, impatient with Diego and Zach's short-sightedness, “but that's not his prince smile. That's his flirty smile.”

“Whoa, stop reaching there,” warned Charlie immediately. “You're assuming a lot from just one picture.”

“Oh, I'm not reaching at all, my dude,” grinned Luke. “I've known you for almost ten years now. I've seen with my own two eyes you using this same smile to charm boys and girls your way on more than one occasion.” He arched his eyebrows meaningfully. “You're crushing back. I can tell.”

“You can't tell shit, Luke, shut the hell up,” tutted Charlie, trying to hide his slightly increasing inward panic.

“You totally are if you're using bad words to defend your honor,” said Diego, delighted. “Guys! Guys, the magic is fucking happening!”

That teasing went on for some solid minutes before Charlie managed to extract himself from his awful, awful friends — not before having Zach solemnly swearing he would introduce him to Alex, yes, Charlie, quit whining about it — and headed towards Royal Hall again. All of this Alex talk had left Charlie feeling warmer than he would like under his costume — whether due to embarrassment or excitement was up to debate but he would place his bets on both. Not to mention he was _starving_. Those little shits and their shenanigans had cost him his lunch break. Charlie let out a sigh when his stomach gave a mighty growl. He was totally up for cream and sugar after all this. He damn well deserved it. 

Charlie grabbed a Mickey-shaped cinnamon roll from the nearest cart and sneaked in through the staff's hallway to the back of the castle. He exited on an area open to the public but removed enough that he felt safe in enjoying his pastry there. There was an old, out-of-use bench in the smaller patio, waiting for the logistics team to come fetch it and vanish it away, and Charlie allowed himself to take a seat and a moment to savor his lunch. He knew he was losing about a hundred points only by sitting and eating outside of the break room but he felt he was ensconced enough from the visitors' looks to eat in peace — and to be honest, he just really, really needed the sugar rush. 

“Prince Phillip!” A young girl's voice cracked the indistinct buzz of movement around him, interrupting his hurried lunch.

“I'm sorry,” came a second voice, sounding amused. “Are we interrupting a royal meal or something?”

Charlie cursed inwardly — he just wanted to _eat,_ for Christ's sake, but he swallowed his bite and turned around with a smile on his face to greet the newcomers.

A smile that faltered once his eyes landed on Alex, and Charlie immediately worried if there was any vanilla cream smeared on his face.

“No-- of course not, not at all,” he blurted out, standing to his feet and checking his surroundings before woefully disposing of his half-eaten roll on the bench he was previously occupying. He turned back to the pair, plastering a smile on his face. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Alex's eyes tracked his every movement, amusement barely disguised in his eyes. He seemed a lot more put together now than on the first time they had run into each other, and Charlie had this faint impression that he was the one caught completely off guard this time. 

“Lyla wanted to take you up on your offer,” Alex explained, the hand he had on his niece's grasp shaking her arm playfully. “Isn't that right?”

Lyla didn't answer. There was a frown on her smooth forehead, and her eyes were fixed on the pastry Charlie had just put aside. 

“I didn't know princes ate from the carts,” she stated, looking back at Charlie inquiringly. “Shouldn't you be in a banquet with Princess Aurora?” 

“Huh,” said Charlie smartly, and you see, the thing is that he usually could handle the kids' questions without a glitch. But this time he just blinked, staring back at Lyla with a dazed expression on his face. He had a strong suspicion that having Alex's eyes on him had something to do with that. “Well, you're right, we usually have feasts in our halls on most days. But when we are in a hurry, sometimes we have to make do with snacks.”

“You don't seem in a hurry,” pointed out Lyla doubtfully. “It seemed like you were here just chilling.”

“Lyla,” admonished Alex. But only half-heartedly. Charlie could see there was a smile fighting to take over his lips.

“You wouldn't know the half of it,” sighed Charlie dramatically. “Between slaying dragons and saving princesses, there's so much work. Sometimes I need to take a little moment to rest.”

“That makes sense,” agreed Lyla, even though her eyebrows were still low on her forehead. She was adorable. And still, it was all Charlie could do to keep his eyes away from her uncle. 

A fact he didn't seem to be hiding so well because Alex's eyes met his for what felt like the millionth time in the last five minutes, and this time Alex couldn't hold it in — his lips curved upwards slightly. Charlie was stunned into silence. He couldn't even play his part properly. Years entertaining visitors in this damn park and all of a sudden, because of a cute guy, he didn't know what to do with himself. 

(A very cute guy, he should stress, but that was beside the point.)

“There you guys are,” a voice broke through their heavy silence, and the three of them turned to watch Tyler coming closer, camera slung around his neck and friendly smile placed on his lips. “I've been looking for you two since Jess told me you were here today. Wanted to give this princess some memories to take with her,” he ruffled Lyla's hair fondly. “Hey, Lyla, how are you doing?”

“I'm great, Uncle Ty. But I told you, I'm not just any princess,” protested Lyla, scurrying away from Tyler's hands with a pout on her lips. “I'm a fighter like Merida!”

“Is this Auntie Jess talking? I'm sure it is,” stated Alex, amused. 

“However it is, a warrior princess is a great choice,” nodded Tyler with a smile, lifting his eyes to Alex. “Can I take her for the Royal Hall tour? Snow White and Cinderella are there now. If we're lucky, we may even find Mulan, and I promised your brother some pictures.” Alex seemed a bit torn by the prospect but before he could decide on an answer, Tyler reassured, “You don't need to come. Give your legs a break, I know you must be tired. I can watch over her. Also,” and here Tyler sounded particularly amused, eyes darting quickly to Charlie before he added, “I think you guys can enjoy some time to talk on your own.”

Charlie watched Alex frown, bemused, and he could tell from his face that he didn't know about the picture. He was probably the only person left in this entire park not to have seen it. Charlie didn't know if it was for better or worse that Alex remained unaware.

“Sure, yeah,” agreed Alex, turning his attention to his niece. “Lyla, would you like to go with Uncle Ty for some pictures? I'll join you two in a second.”

“Let's go! Here, hold this for me,” the little girl shoved her stuffed Pluto in her uncle's direction before leaving hand-in-hand with Tyler. Charlie was immediately reminded of Diego. And all the teasing. And now he was alone with Alex, and his palms were sweating already. The day was definitely warm.

“Your niece is really sweet,” said Charlie, the words were leaving his mouth before he even had the time to think of them. He just wanted to fill in the silence before Alex asked why Tyler thought they could use some time on their own. “Also really smart. Merida is a great fav.”

“Thanks. She really is,” agreed Alex, looking at Charlie with a pensive expression on his face. Charlie swallowed thickly. Holy shit. He was going to ask. “Sorry about her earlier, she's just in that phase to question everything now.”

“It's okay, I'm used to it,” reassured Charlie. “Kids are curious. It's important that they keep being so.”

“You sound a lot less princely now than this morning,” observed Alex, amused. 

And Charlie totally did, didn't he. One minute in with this stranger, and he was already breaking a character that was ingrained in his memory for the last couple of years.

And well, once he had broken it already — what the hell. “Yeah, what can I say. It's the occasion that determines the amount of royalty necessary, Uncle Lexie.”

Alex visibly cringed, groaning in protest. “Shut up. Fuck's sake, I hoped you wouldn't remember this one.”

“How could I not remember? It was memorable enough,” answered Charlie with a grin. “The look on your face. The sheer horror! Unforgettable.”

“You know what, I think I prefer you princely,” said Alex, squinting at him. “And it's not even funny because while you know my name and my most embarrassing nickname, I'm still calling you Prince Phillip in my head. How's that fair?”

Charlie's smiled softened, and he debated with himself for a minute if he dared to reveal his name. But then he had a better idea. A better, bolder, riskier idea. He could recognize an opportunity when he saw one, and even in his haphazard state of nerves, he was not letting this one go.

“I _am_ Prince Phillip. Four days a week, from 9 to 5,” said Charlie firmly. He tilted his head, allowing a small grin to spread on his lips. “But if you'd like to meet the commoner side of me, we could totally arrange for that.”

“Yeah? How so?” Alex arched his eyebrows, interested.

“Outside of here, on a date, if you'd give me the pleasure. I promise I won't take my sword or my shield,” Charlie vowed solemnly. “Also, the dress code can be less, you know, formal.”

“Eh, I don't know,” mused Alex thoughtfully. “I kinda like the shield. And the outfit ain't that bad.”

“Would you rather I just take you on a ride on my carriage instead?” Asked Charlie, playing along. “My castle or yours?”

“Jesus, you're awful at this,” Alex shook his head, but there was a smile playing on his lips. 

“Well, I'm sorry. They don't exactly teach us how to flirt without breaking character. It's not a thing we learn on Princeling 101,” said Charlie defensively. But there was no heat to it. Alex's smile was worth being teased.

“Oh, is this what's happening here? Is this flirting?” Asked Alex unimpressed but there was a glint to his eyes that belied his amusement. “I thought you were betrothed to the Sleeping Lady,” he reminded.

“Aurora and I like to keep our relationship open-minded, you know,” said Charlie matter-of-factly. “Lots of years of partnership there, we gotta have some common agreement on keeping things fresh. It's the 21st century after all.”

“Please, tell me you don't say that in front of the kids,” begged Alex.

“I assure you I don't,” promised Charlie. “Only to very cute uncles whose sole purpose seems to make a prince's life harder,” he informed with a smile. “What's your magic? It's easier to slay a dragon than to keep my eyes away from you.”

Alex chuckled, the slightest blush rising to his cheeks. “Wow, you really went all out for it now, didn't you,” he rolled his eyes, giving in first. “You're seriously not gonna tell me your name?”

“I most definitely will,” agreed Charlie. “Over some nachos and a couple of beers, at least ten miles away from Disneyland. How does that sound?”

“Sounds like blackmail. Not princely at all,” said Alex in a disapproving tone. Then he smiled. “I would like that.”

Charlie smiled back, and he could feel it in his whole face, and in his heart, and warming his chest, and maybe, just maybe, Luke had a point in saying his real smile was worlds away from his prince-smile. 

“Awesome,” he said, excitement barely contained in his voice. “Are we talking dates yet? Too soon?”

“Uh--” Alex blinked, seeming a little thrown off by Charlie's eagerness. But he responded in kind, tilting his head to look up at Charlie slightly uncertain. “Well. I'm free today after here?”

“Oh,” replied Charlie, this time taken aback himself. But also — glad, very glad. So very glad to see he wasn't the only one interested here. “Sure, yeah, later today is fine. It's awesome. Can't wait,” he grinned, thinking of how a stupid picture had put them on each other's ways like that. “I'll get your number from Zach, if that's okay? So we can text for details.”

“Of course,” answered Alex promptly, a slight frown surging on his forehead. “How do you know I'm friends with Zach?”

Charlie faltered, cursing his eagerness that helped in clouding his judgment. He had managed this far without bringing up the damn picture, and he would very much like to keep the awkwardness out of the way, so he quickly added. “I ran into him on the break room earlier, and he was talking about a friend of his being here today. He's also, you know. A prince.”

“Yeah, I know,” nodded Alex, amused. He shrugged with one shoulder, a grin curving his lips. “I gotta go find Lyla, she's probably scaring the living shit out of Ty with all her questions.” He tilted his head in the direction Tyler and his niece had left to earlier, but his eyes remained glued on Charlie. “I'll wait for your contact then, Prince Phillip.”

Charlie smiled his best prince-like smile and nodded loftily. “I wait with bated breath for the moment we'll see each other again.”

Alex rolled his eyes and flipped him off as he walked backwards to the castle. But there was a content smile on his lips as he turned around, and in Charlie's book, that counted as a win.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Wonder if you guys can guess what comes next... ;)
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO, it's been quite a while since I last updated this story, and I apologize for that. I was supposed to have it finished shortly after the RB posting week BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS it was all for a good cause, and now this fic has art!!! Ricoka gave me the pleasure of drawing some more artworks for this story, which you'll find in this chapter, and I'm so thrilled and thankful to be sharing this with you all with her amazing work to perfectly illustrate this story. I'll leave the tumblr link to her post in the end notes so you can all give her some love too. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you appreciate this last chapter as much as I appreciated writing it.

Alex could feel Prince Phillip's eyes on his back as he made his way to meet Tyler and Lyla again, so he didn't dare to grab his phone just yet.

Of course Alex knew his name. It hadn't been particularly hard to pry this information out of Jess after she made a point of sending him that stupid picture. Alex was still engulfed by a wave of embarrassment every time he thought back to the photo Jessica snapped, but as dumbstruck and heart-eyed as he looked, it was undeniable that Charlie had been sneaking a glance at him too. Which had given Alex a boost of confidence to approach the prince again. 

(Well, that and Lyla adamantly stating that Prince Phillip had looked as dazzled as Alex himself felt when the two of them met. In her own words, of course. Was it wise to take a kid's perception to heart when considering talking to your crush? Probably not. But Alex had been called his worst nickname right in front of Charlie already, not to mention that mortifying picture, so he was finding it hard to embarrass himself further. That was how low his bar was. It made up for bouts of reckless motivation when the only thing going on his mind was “what could go worse than this?” 

To his luck, this mindset had proved itself very productive.)

Alex pulled his phone from his pocket as soon as he reached the inside of the castle and opened his conversation with Jess. He most definitely skipped that cursed picture — it was offensive to his very existence — and focused on the last messages Jess had graced him with, half an hour ago.

**(11:36 AM) Jessica Davis:** _1) you look like a gaping fish on that shot_

**(11:36 AM) Jessica Davis:** _2) youre lucky prince Phillip is looking smitten too cuz otherwise it would be so fucking embarrassing for you_

**(11:37 AM) Jessica Davis:** _3) his name's Charlie btw and I can totally hook you two up. You're welcome._

Alex smiled, typing a response before shoving his phone back into his pocket and heading to where Lyla smiled excitedly beside, ironically, Princess Aurora. His phone buzzed insistently a few minutes after but Alex happily ignored it as he stood beside Tyler snapping shot after shot of his delighted niece surrounded by Disney's finest.

**(1:12 PM) Alex Standall:** _as much as I appreciate your nosy investment in my love life i've got it handled_

**(1:13 PM) Alex Standall:** _got myself a date with Prince Phillip on my own, thanks for nothing_

**(1:18 PM) Jessica Davis:** _wait what_

**(1:18 PM) Jessica Davis:** _what do you mean, what did I miss_

**(1:20 PM) Jessica Davis:** _was this Zach? Did fucking Mushu steal my fucking thunder_

**(1:22 PM) Jessica Davis:** _Alex don't ignore me_

**(1:22 PM) Jessica Davis:** _I wanna know what happened_

**(1:27 PM) Jessica Davis:** _ALEX!!!!!!!!!!!!_

**(1:28 PM) Jessica Davis:** _I hate you_

* * *

To say that Alex was nervous by the time he finished dressing for his date with Charlie was an understatement. His stomach was in knots and he'd been pacing in front of his mirror for some solid ten minutes, checking his watch periodically to be sure he wouldn't be too early while also not late. He had also changed outfits quite a few times, which was very uncharacteristic of him.

Currently, he was wearing a striped gray-and-white shirt under a caramel jacket, with dark jeans and his favorite pair of black sneakers, and if this wasn't the best he could pull off in his present circumstances, he didn't know what could be. Alex used to care a lot about clothes at some point in his life but after his brain injury, his choice of attire had been about comfort and practicality for so long that even after overcoming the worst of his limitations, he found himself too lazy to go back to caring about being trendy. 

A feat he lived to regret when he inspected his clothes a couple of hours back and came up with a few meager options he could use for his date. The thought was a bit unnerving because that meant he'd have even fewer options if things panned out well and they agreed to meet again. 

When Alex realized he was considering shopping for clothes for their second date when their first hadn't even fucking happened, he panicked and FaceTimed Zach. Yet another feat he was living to regret.

“So he did reach out to you, huh?” Said Zach with a huge grin. “Gotta say I'm not surprised, not with how eager he seemed when he asked me for your number, but I am surprised with _you_ ,” Zach lifted his eyebrows, incredulity painted all over his face. “You just met Charlie, like, a few hours ago. What spell did he cast on you to have you on a date so quickly?”

“Actually,” started Alex, mustering all the dignity he could afford to admit, “I was the one to suggest we meet today.”

“Sorry, what?” Zach blinked.

“ _I know_ ,” Alex rolled his eyes in exasperation, one hand almost lifting to anxiously thread into his hair before he remembered he had styled it for once. “I don't know what got into me — but he was just _there_ , and he seemed interested too, and all of a sudden I didn't wanna play hard-to-get just to look cool. It's the first time I'm interested in anyone in a while, so when I realized, I was saying it already.”

Alex cut himself off abruptly, noticing he was running his mouth due to his fucking nerves. He stared at Zach's face on his phone's screen, daring him to laugh or crack a joke, as the disbelieving/amused look on his friend's face indicated he was prone to do. 

But Zach's gaze softened, and he smiled instead, shaking his head. “Dude. I don't think I've seen you this worked up ever since high school. Calm down, everything's gonna play out just fine,” he reassured. “Charlie's a nice guy, and he seemed genuinely interested in you. It'll be alright. It's actually cute you two are so into each other from the start.”

“You mean, cute that I came out on camera looking like a dead fish?” Blanked Alex.

“If a guy's still interested in you even when you don't look your best, you know the magic's for real,” preached Zach. 

“Oh, my god, will you shut the fuck up,” said Alex, but he was almost cracking a grin. “I'm hanging up on you.”

“You look great now, though!” Encouraged Zach hurriedly before Alex disconnected the call. “Go get him, tiger.”

Alex allowed Zach to witness one last eyeroll before hanging up. He tried not to get infected by his friend's appreciating grin, but it was a tough call. 

So all in all, as he looked over the Uber's window to the bar he and Charlie had agreed to meet at, Alex was feeling slightly less nervous. Only slightly. He was a bit worried that he'd gone too eager too fast on suggesting for them to hang out the day they'd just met, but Zach's reassurance that Charlie had been just as greedy for his number to settle up the details eased Alex's mind a bit. Things looked a bit better if he knew he wasn't the only one thoroughly interested here.

Alex saw Charlie the minute he stepped out of the car, and he wasn't shy to admit his heart did a weird somersault in his chest at the sight of him. Had he thought Charlie was beautiful dressed as Prince Phillip? The notion sounded almost absurd now, because Charlie as just Charlie was something else entirely. He looked dashing in burgundy pants and black derbies, a checkered shirt peeking from under a dark grey sweater with a black leather jacket thrown on top. His hair was styled differently from before, in a way that made him look lively and soft, his clean-shaven face lending him a youngish look. Alex was a bit stunned for a moment with how _good_ he looked. Before he could find a chance to panic about his own looks, he took a step forward and entered Charlie's eyesight. 

“Spotless punctuality, I see,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “Very noble. Are you sure you're not a prince in real life?”

Charlie turned around at the sound of his voice, and though he seemed to have an answer ready at the tip of his tongue, his eyes turned distracted as he allowed himself a double-take at Alex, not as smooth as he probably aimed to be. Alex felt a pleasant warmth spreading on his cheeks. At least his fussing over his only remaining date-worthy clothes was paying off. 

Charlie's eyes snapped back to his face when he finally caught himself to what he was doing but he didn't seem embarrassed in the slightest. The smile on his face was very different from the one Alex had seen a lot earlier today. This smile looked more genuine, more real, and Alex wondered if it was even possible to crush harder on this guy than he was crushing already. 

“I should hope not, cause then I'd have a curfew or something, and I'm not counting on turning into a pumpkin tonight before I get to spend time with you,” he informed.

“Isn't that about a princess, though?” Mused Alex thoughtfully. 

“I don't think evil witches' spells care for gender conventions,” pointed out Charlie. He took another quick once over at Alex and smiled that soft smile that was making Alex slightly weak on the knees. “You look really beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Alex stuttered back in a mixture of embarrassment and joy. “You're looking good too,” he managed to get past his nervousness, wishing he was a bit better with his words to compliment Charlie as he deserved. 

But judging by the way Charlie grinned, he seemed to take Alex's garbled compliment just fine. “Should we get ins-- oh. Before I forget,” said Charlie, extending his hand. “I'm Charlie, by the way. It's such a pleasure to properly meet you.”

Alex stared at his hand for one second too long before he quickly remembered himself that, _right,_ Charlie didn't know he knew his name already. 

“Should I kiss your hand instead?” Asked Charlie, entertained by Alex's belatedness in coming up with a response.

“Shut up,” snorted Alex. He grasped Charlie's hand firmly, appreciating the warmth of his skin and how his slender fingers were engulfed by Charlie's larger hand. “I'm Alex, but you know that already. It's great to meet you out of character.”

Charlie hummed in acknowledgment and then smiled, and their hands were still connected for longer than a handshake had any need to be. Still, neither of them seemed in much of a hurry to pull away from it. 

“We should probably get in,” suggested Alex, not wanting to let go but also aware they couldn't stand all night outside of a bar attached to each other's hands. 

“Right,” said Charlie, as if just enlighted by the notion. “Right, we should,” and to Alex's surprise, Charlie didn't let go of his hand. He just turned on his heels and entwined their fingers, tugging gently at Alex's hand as he made way for them amongst the throng of people inside the bar. Alex followed his lead gladly. 

Eventually, they had to break apart as they settled on a high table, pints of beer in front of them as they sat opposite each other. Alex took a small sip of his tentatively. Drinking was not on his top list of bad habits after his TBI but he sometimes indulged in a few drinks, especially when he was in need of some liquid courage. He felt like he could use some now. 

Charlie didn't seem too intent on his beer either, and the noisy environment around them didn't allow for much conversation, so in a short time, Alex was wondering why the hell had they agreed to meet at a bar of all places. Deep down, he kind of knew why. After both their displays of enthusiasm for meeting again as soon as possible, going for something very elaborate had sounded too much like a big deal in Alex's book. So when Charlie suggested a very unassuming bar downtown, Alex had been quick to agree. Which was proving to be a valid idea in theory, but not as much in practice. 

To top it all, the bright, glimmering lights around them were making Alex slightly dizzy. He thought he was making a good job of hiding it, but was discouraged from this notion when Charlie fixed him with a frown, voice surging over in their stilted conversation. 

“Are you okay?” He asked worriedly, and Alex realized he'd been squinting to shield his eyes from the light. 

His TBI wasn't something Alex wanted to address on their very first date, so he just nodded, smiling faintly. “I'm good. It's just-- the lights are a bit too much sometimes.”

“Oh. I see,” Charlie lifted his eyes absentmindedly, and the lines of concern were so plain on his face that Alex was a bit marveled at how fucking expressive he was. “We could go somewhere else if you'd like?” Offered Charlie, gaze returning to Alex's face hopeful and protective. 

“Oh, no,” denied Alex, not wanting to derail their plans. “We can stay. You picked the place, after all.”

“Actually,” started Charlie, looking a bit sheepish, “the only reason I picked a bar was that I didn't want to come off too hard in our first date,” he confessed, eyes a bit wide as he looked at Alex with a hint of apprehension in his face. “I mean, I know things were a bit rushed today, and I kind of wanted to give you an easy way out if our date happened not to go like you expected... Without making things too awkward, that is. I wouldn't want that. Or that you felt awkward yourself, I don't want that either. I should just-- probably stop talking now.”

Alex figured that at least part of the reason that had that outgoing, confident guy stuttering out his words was that he was staring. He knew he was — ever since Charlie started to explain his reasoning behind picking a bar, and Alex was both surprised and amused they'd been thinking so in tune without even saying their worries out loud. They'd both aimed for a place that wasn't even their scene just to make the other feel less pressured about going so hard for a chance to see each other again. 

“I'm sorry. Did I just ruin what was going on here?” Asked Charlie with a sigh, and Alex realized he'd been silent for longer than he thought. He cleared his throat, shaking his head in response. 

“No, I-- no, you definitely didn't,” he settled on, firmly. “I agreed to meeting in a more impersonal place too, so that one's also on me. But now that we both claimed our part in choosing poorly, I'd like it if we could go somewhere else as you suggested.”

Charlie's expression brightened once he realized Alex was still into their date. He edged forward in his seat, looking at Alex with a hopeful glint in his eyes. “There's a place I'd like to take you to. It's nothing fancy but it has a nice view of the city, and it was actually the first place that came to my mind when you agreed to go out on a date with me.”

Usually, Alex would say no. His stranger-danger alarm was one of the most efficient ones he'd ever heard of, and he would be more comfortable choosing the place himself. But then again, usually he wouldn't be sitting at a bar with a guy he'd just met that very same day — so once his priorities seemed all over the place anyway, he thought 'fuck it' for once and decided to take the plunge. 

“Sure. I'd like to see where your mind went when you thought of me,” he said, lips curving into a small smile. “ But I expect sparkles and birdsongs and all that jazz. I didn't settle for a prince for any less.”

Charlie laughed, shaking his head as a 'fair enough' escaped his lips. And Alex, despite his ever-present distrustfulness, found himself smiling back, the warmth in Charlie's eyes embracing him and lending him more confidence than he usually had.

* * *

They ended up having hot dogs at the lake's shore — and if you told Alex beforehand that this would be the best date he'd ever had in his life, he would flat-out laugh right in your face. But it was true. 

They'd walked the distance between the bar and the spot Charlie wanted him to see. It was a slightly longer walk than Alex anticipated but he didn't hold this against Charlie. He and his athletic capacity could never know that the twenty-minutes stroll could be a bit of a strain for Alex at the end of a hectic day.

But they talked all the way to the lake, and this distracted Alex to the point he almost completely ignored the tightness in his leg. Away from all the noise of the bar — walking alongside each other with their arms bumping accidentally sometimes, fingers brushing at the sides of their bodies when they dared to stray closer —, they were able to actually listen to one another, and their conversation flowed way more easily than Alex could have hoped for. 

He learned Charlie's age, and his carefully cultivated love for football, and how he ended up working at Disneyland two years ago. And he offered back in kind. Alex told Charlie about his friendship with Jess and Zach, about Lyla and why the hell was he even at Disneyland in the first place, and the guitar lessons he taught online in his spare time. Their exchange flowed freely, not leaving space for awkward silences, for which Alex was grateful but also surprised. He could count on the fingers of one hand only how many times in his life had he gotten along so well with someone from the start like this. The thought was both exhilarating and terrifying. 

As they neared the walkway Charlie wanted to take him to sightsee, there was a food truck festival taking place by the shore. Alex found out, when confronted with the variety of smells and the taste of greasy food in the air, that he was actually hungry. Charlie admitted to being one of those people who could eat at any time, so they settled on a tour of the various trucks spread along the lakeside before climbing up to the railings. 

It happened to be a short tour, because when Charlie mentioned Audrey's had the best hot dog in the city, Alex felt personally obligated to stand his ground and defend Good Ol' Sam's honor. A lot of bantering, some sharp jabs and a few eyerolls later, Charlie was able to convince Alex to at least try Audrey's. And once they were eating, Alex begrudgingly had to agree it was a very good hot dog indeed. 

“But not better than Good Ol' Sam's, and it's my current life goal to prove you that,” he insisted around the first bite of his second hot dog. 

“This sounds like a second date,” suggested Charlie, amused. 

“You bet your ass it does,” murmured Alex, more to himself than to Charlie, but he could tell from the grin on the younger guy's lips that he had listened. 

The hot dog conundrum also served to erase any misconception of Charlie as a prince that Alex could still have. Not because it was difficult to reconcile the idea of Prince Phillip eating a hot dog from a food truck on the lakeside (but yes, also that) but mostly because the longer they spent time together, the more Charlie abandoned the mannerisms ingrained in him after years of training. He was more himself than ever, and it showed — in his speech, in his stance, in the warmth of his eyes as he smiled, and that was all him, the real Charlie. Not an act. Alex wouldn't lie — he had been taken aback by Prince Phillip's figure earlier today. He was so fucking poised and handsome it was impossible not to. But seeing Charlie like this, carefree and unrehearsed, all spontaneous smiles and natural glances, a faint smear of ketchup glaring back at Alex from the corner of his lips — these were things Prince Phillip could never live up to. 

“You're staring,” informed Charlie good-naturedly, swallowing the last bite of his hot dog. “What is it, do I have something on my face?”

“As a matter of fact, you do,” replied Alex amused, pointing to the smear of ketchup that stood up in stark contrast against Charlie's fair skin. “But that wasn't what distracted me. Well, at least, not only that.”

“What was it, then?” Asked Charlie, reaching for one of Alex's napkins to wipe the sauce off his face. 

“I was thinking-- how do you do it? How do you separate what's Prince Phillip and what's, you know, _Charlie_ ,” Alex mused, eyes not leaving the younger man's face. “Most days, I can barely keep up with being just your average Alex Standall.”

Charlie smiled, shrugging. “Well, for starters, I don't think I and Prince Phillip have much in common, so it's easier to just play the part. And I would know it for a fact, given how many times I had to watch Sleeping Beauty related content over the last two years.”

“Does this come with the job description?” Asked Alex, barely holding back a laugh. 

“Oh, you don't know the half of it,” chuckled Charlie, intoning dramatically, _“Don't you remember? We've met before. Once upon a dream.”_

Alex deadpanned, staring back at Charlie at a loss. “I'm not sure I'm following.”

“I didn't really expect you to. You don't strike me as a Disney kind of guy,” said Charlie, looking way too amused for Alex's comprehension. They grabbed their wallets and started back on their way towards the railings that surrounded the walkway by the lake. “Actually, I've been meaning to ask. How were you even roped into taking your niece to the park in the first place?”

“Well, have you seen her?” Asked Alex in an obvious tone, prompting a laugh out of Charlie. “There's not much she asks of me that I wouldn't do for her. Also, I think it's safe to say at this point that Jess tried to prank me. I wasn't really sure of her intentions at first, but when she insisted on taking fucking pictures, she made it clear what her evil plan was.”

“I'm glad she played villain this time, then,” said Charlie with a smile, leaning one of his elbows against the railing, his eyes remaining on Alex. “Otherwise I'd never get a chance to meet you.”

“Yeah, well, I see your point but I'm not ready to be thankful to her just yet,” said Alex stubbornly. He sloped against the metal fence, a pleased expression taking over his face. “I'm actually enjoying some payback as we speak by leaving her hanging about our date. We should probably take a selfie just to spite her. I mean,” he took a quick glance at Charlie, hesitant. “I told her about it, I hope you don't mind.”

“No, of course not,” said Charlie. “I, uh-- I might have told a few people myself, too.”

“A few people?” Echoed Alex, eyebrows arched in amusement. 

Charlie visibly winced, a sheepish laugh escaping his lips. He threw an uncertain look at Alex from under his lashes before adding, “Okay, I'll tell you something but you have to promise you won't laugh, or become self-conscious.”

“I'm making no promises,” said Alex coolly, and quite honestly, he had an inkling what was coming next. 

Charlie let out a sigh, mulling over the best choice of words in his head. “Okay, so. Remember that picture Jess took from us earlier this morning?”

“I sure do,” nodded Alex. “It's not every day I'm bullied into a picture with a Disney prince.” 

Charlie laughed nervously. “Yeah, well,” he tilted his head to look at Alex, seemingly hesitant if he should be disclosing this. “Jess sent that picture to Zach. And, well, Zach shared it with a few more people, some friends of mine included. They were the ones who I told about our date.”

“Mmm,” said Alex, eyebrows creasing, playing along with Charlie's narrative as if he hadn't been made aware that his friends were trash in their private group chat earlier that day. “I see, and I'm not surprised. I know my friends well at this point.”

“Have you _seen_ the picture?” Asked Charlie bluntly. 

And as much as Alex was expecting this question at some point, he still floundered a bit in his delayed, “Uh, no?” He didn't think he sounded convincing at all. 

He also didn't think Charlie would take it upon himself to show him the fucking picture, but it seemed like it when he fished his phone from his pocket, stoic resignation painted all over his face. Alex's hand was flying to grab his before he even thought about it — he had to _stop this from happening._ He'd stared enough at his dumb face in that picture to last a lifetime, and it was not in his plans to do it some more while having Charlie right next to him. 

“Alright, fine, I confess,” blurted out Alex to Charlie's surprised face, the younger man's eyes glued to Alex's fingers still grasping his wrist. “I did see the goddamn picture. Jess sent it to me too cause apparently she can't help herself from pointing out in detail my stupid face while looking at you.”

“Oh,” Charlie blinked, a bit surprised by the older man's sudden honesty. His gaze traveled from Alex's eyes to his slender fingers still wrapped around his wrist before he hummed, free hand reaching for his phone so he could slip it back into his pocket. His other hand still attached to Alex's turned in his grasp to tentatively entwine their fingers. “Well, if I have any say in the matter, I thought you looked really cute in that picture.”

“Shut up,” Alex laughed, his heart speeding in his chest, and he wasn't sure if this was due to Charlie's touch on his skin or his silly, impossible words. “You did not, and you don't have to say that just to charm me. No one in their sane mind would look at me in that shot and think _cute_.”

“It's possible that I've gone a little insane ever since I met you, won't deny,” admitted Charlie, thumb caressing the back of Alex's hand slowly, and Alex was sure he wasn't meant to be melting with such a simple touch — yet he was. “That doesn't mean to say I didn't think you looked a bit funny--”

“What the fuck just happened to me looking cute?” Frowned Alex.

“-- but it didn't really matter cause all I could see when I looked at your face was how freaking lovely you are, and I was jealous of Prince Phillip for a second there,” Charlie finished.

“You _are_ Prince Phillip, Charlie,” Alex laughed, rolling his eyes, fucking butterflies fluttering on his stomach at the younger man's words. 

“I know,” Charlie murmured, and he looked so earnest and vulnerable that Alex had to backtrack on their exchange to see if he had missed something. “But I was scared you'd be only interested in the character and all the Disney Magic thing. It wouldn't be the first time. I was afraid you wouldn't want me for me.”

Alex was struck speechless for a second or two. He could see where Charlie's concerns stemmed from, but he wanted to dissolute the younger man from that notion as fast as he could. Alex had spent the whole day seeing princes and princesses in their most different attires, and none of them had taken residence in his head the way Charlie had. He was quite positive he hadn't been captured by a cape and a shield, no matter how handsome Charlie looked while donning them. Prince Phillip could very well never make another cameo into Alex's life, as long as he was allowed to keep Charlie. 

He took one step closer to Charlie, squeezing their still entwined fingers lightly. “I have one more thing I need to confess.” 

“Yeah?” Charlie looked at him curiously, welcoming his proximity with a soft smile. “What is it?”

Alex took a deep breath, gathering up the courage to display his dumb plan. “When I went to find you for the second time... I knew your name already. Jess told me soon after she sent me the picture.” Alex grimaced, shaking his head to himself as a chuckle escaped his lips. “I just needed an excuse to talk to you again. Preferably outside of fucking Disneyland.”

Charlie's grin was the biggest Alex had seen on his face so far, prince or not. “You didn't need an excuse. I spent my entire shift thinking of you. You could have talked about the weather, and I'd be happy to humor you.”

“Well, I had no way to know it back then,” pointed out Alex, mirroring the smile in the younger man's face, “and coming up with 'hey, Charlie' completely out of the blue seemed kinda creepy.”

“I can't believe this. You had me thinking I blackmailed you into going out on a date with me,” accused Charlie amused, “when you were the one evil scheming all along!”

“I'm most definitely not apologizing for that,” informed Alex. “I'll happily embrace the role of the bad guy in this story if it means we got to spend some time together. Though in my defense, you seemed pretty eager yourself to ask me out the first chance you got.”

“Yeah, what can I say,” shrugged Charlie, still grinning. “I was already charmed. Uncle Lexie got me under his spell pretty bad.”

“I must warn you, I am not above punching you,” Alex deadpanned, much to Charlie's delight. As hard as it was to keep a straight face when the other man's laugh filled the air between them, Alex soldiered on. “You know what's funny? Even before seeing the picture, Lyla actually was the one who told me maybe my interest wasn't just one-sided.”

“What do you mean?” Asked Charlie, the remnants of his amusement still on his face. 

“She told me it looked like both of us were hit pretty hard in the head the first time we saw each other,” said Alex with a smirk. “I figured if we were being obvious to a kid, it couldn't be just me barely keeping it together when we met.”

“So let me see if I got this right,” said Charlie, a slight crease in his forehead as he recollected what Alex had just told him. “A funny picture and a kid's opinion, that's what convinced you to talk to me again?”

“Shit, did I just lose my evil mastermind status?” Asked Alex, looking bummed. 

“Yeah, you can totally forget about it. You're a dork,” stated Charlie, smile placed on his lips as he looked fondly at Alex. 

Alex sighed, begrudgingly amused. “Usually, I'm not,” he lifted his eyes to meet Charlie's, getting lost in the fondness he found in the younger man's gaze. “I don't know what the fuck is it about you that has me doing things I normally wouldn't do.”

“That's good for me, I guess,” said Charlie, eyes locked with Alex's, registering each and every one of his expressions before taking the last step that separated them. His hand sneaked past Alex's arm, resting in the dip of his waist, a grounding and tingling weight against his side. “Or we probably wouldn't be here now, and I don't like that idea very much.”

“There's a lot of people around here,” warned Alex, sneaking a glance at their surroundings before returning his eyes to Charlie.

And Charlie just smiled, not a trace of worry in his face. “I know,” he said simply and waited. He didn't move closer neither pulled away. He just stood there, peering down at Alex with his bright blue eyes open and vulnerable, and Alex knew this was Charlie giving him the chance of letting him down gently if he wanted. He was giving Alex a way out if he felt uncomfortable with all the people surrounding them. 

And for the umpteenth time that day, Alex chose the opposite direction he'd normally go for. His usual, overthinking self would never go for a first kiss in front of so many people. You can never be too sure that there won't be a homophobic asshole lurking in the background. But well, his usual, overthinking self also wouldn't be in the arms of a guy he'd just met hours ago, so there was also that. Alex had broken a lot of his own rules that day — and so far he hadn't regretted a single one of them. 

So in the end, Alex told his usual, overthinking self to fuck off one last time — he stood on his toes and closed the last centimeters that still separated him from Charlie, pressing his lips against the younger man's chastely but firmly, the way he'd been craving to do all night. The way he'd been wanting to do all day long, if he was being really honest. 

Charlie's free hand rested on his face, strong fingers carefully cradling his jaw and keeping him close. Alex's heart jumped in his chest with the gesture, and he almost mourned his decision of kissing Charlie right away. Because now that he'd had a taste of his lips, Alex wanted more. He wanted to thread his fingers into Charlie's hair and pull him even closer, press their bodies together and learn the rhythm of his heartbeat. He wanted to bite into Charlie's lip and then swallow down the gasp that would follow. He wanted to deepen their kiss and allow the electric undercurrent that buzzed under their skins to take them over and consume them. 

For now, though, Alex placed a hand against Charlie's chest, feeling the thrum of his heart for a few amazing seconds before pushing the younger man away gently, begrudgingly breaking their kiss. 

Charlie followed his lips unconsciously, and then grinned as he realized what he was doing, amused and only the slightest bit sheepish. “Sorry. Got a bit caught up there.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” muttered Alex, eyes lingering on Charlie's soft lips, finding it so hard not to be lured back into them again. He forced his gaze up and found Charlie's eyes already on him, fond and wanting and amused at his distraction. Alex was maybe a bit too taken but not enough to miss Charlie clearly having fun with the whole situation. “It's not funny,” he chastised, swatting at Charlie's chest lightly. 

“Actually, it is,” said Charlie, openly laughing now. “I swear I didn't expect to be so into just one kiss. Jesus, I feel like I'm in my teens again.”

Alex allowed himself a smile, satisfied in the knowledge Charlie was just as affected as he was — and for fuck's sake, they had barely touched lips. “I hear you. I'm starting to doubt you don't have some fairytale magic powder spread all over you,” he joked, gesturing in Charlie's general direction and taking the chance to step back a bit from the younger man to give his brain a chance to properly function again. 

Charlie shook his head, amused. “I'm afraid that's Tinkerbell's thing, and she's not to be messed up with. I'd never have the courage to steal from her.”

“Is her stuff good enough to make you see stars and shit?” Alex wondered aloud. “Cause I still feel a bit like I'm tripping.”

Charlie let out a sigh, exasperated. “See, if you don't stop saying things like that, I'll have no other choice but to kiss you again.”

“Don't you dare,” threatened Alex, but who was he kidding, really. He was fucking smiling through his threat, he could feel it spreading over his cheeks. Was he worried about getting too caught up on Charlie in a very public place? Yes. Enough to stop Charlie from kissing him again? Definitely not. 

They ended up settling for a loose embrace. Alex leaned against the railing, watching the lights from the other side of the city spread over the lake, glinting warmly in the dark, their long and stretched shapes reaching over like arms across the water. Charlie stood beside him, one arm around the older man's waist, his other hand linked with Alex's on top of the railing, fingerpads slowly caressing his knuckles. The sky above them was a velvety dark blue dotted with a few stars here and there, as much as they could see with the bright lights of the city surrounding them. Alex wished he could take Charlie stargazing someday. He had no idea where that had come from but he was not rejecting the prospect in the slightest. 

“It really is beautiful here,” said Alex eventually, leaning forward to peer at the water steadily swaying a few feet away from them. 

“I'm happy you like it,” Charlie smiled, fingers slotting into place between Alex's. “I like to come here when I need some time off to de-stress. This is my favorite place in the city.”

“It's our first date ever, and your idea is to take me to the place you like the most?” Asked Alex amused, turning his head to look at Charlie in disbelief. 

“I thought we'd established none of us acted with our heads today,” said Charlie defensively, to what Alex chuckled, having to agree. “But I regret nothing,” he added in a lower tone, tilting his head to kiss the curve where Alex's neck met his jaw affectionately. 

Alex couldn't stop the smile forming on his lips even if he tried. “Yeah, me too,” he confessed, his body relaxing against Charlie's front, the warmth of the younger man's body embracing him immediately. “It was a crazy day but I quite like how it's ending.” He tilted his head backwards and laid it against Charlie's shoulder. “I wouldn't want anything different.”

Charlie grinned, leaning down to press his lips against Alex's lazily, prolonging having to break their contact. “Not even the Uncle Lexie part?” Whispered Charlie against Alex's lips. 

“Charlie, _I swear to God_.”

* * *

**(11:28 PM) Alex Standall:** __

**(11:29 PM) Alex Standall:** _date night!!!!!!!!_

**(11:35 PM) Jessica Davis:** _fuck you I don't wanna know_

**(11:38 PM) Jessica Davis:** _ok that's a lie, tell me everything_

**(11:40 PM) Alex Standall:** _you don't deserve any juicy details_

**(11:40 PM) Jessica Davis:** _HOW is that even true?? if it wasn't for me you two wouldn't even know each other_

**(11:41 PM) Alex Standall:** _you think too highly of yourself_

**(11:41 PM) Jessica Davis:** _come on Alex, quit being an asshole_

**(11:41 PM) Jessica Davis:** _if you don't tell me stuff I will squeeze Charlie for information tomorrow_

**(11:42 PM) Jessica Davis:** _I don't wanna have to do that, he's terrified of me already as it is so SPILL_

**(11:42 PM) Alex Standall:** _I'm sorry was that a threat to my boo I sensed in your tone_

**(11:43 PM) Jessica Davis:** _......................... your boo_

**(11:43 PM) Jessica Davis:** _you're being a little shit on purpose and I can tell_

**(11:49 PM) Alex Standall:** __

**(11:49 PM) Alex Standall:** _*smooch*_

**(11:50 PM) Jessica Davis:** _AleX sTAnDall_

**(11:50 PM) Jessica Davis:** _WHAT JUST HAPPENED_

**(11:50 PM) Jessica Davis:** _thats it im going to your fucking house_

**(11:51 PM) Alex Standall:** _jess it's almost midnight on a weekday_

**(11:53 PM) Alex Standall:** _Jess?_

**(11:54 PM) Alex Standall:** _JESSICA_

**(11:57 PM) Alex Standall:** _fuck_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to each of you who read this story, I can safely say it was one of my favorite things to write to date. Also, thanks again to Ricoka for being such an amazing collab partner while I was writing this, and for taking it up a notch with these Chalex artworks to make this end chapter better than I could've ever imagined. You can find her [Tumblr post here](https://ricoka.tumblr.com/post/633881510190153728/so-i-offered-to-create-some-visuals-for-one-of). Go give her some love for these beauties as well.
> 
> I hope you've enjoyed this story <3 Please be kind to give me your thoughts on it!


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